The Sword of Justice and the Shield of Time
by StormFarron185
Summary: Homura Akemi was alone when she started her journey to save Madoka Kaname. That was how she believed it would always be. Timeline after timeline. Failure after failure, she finds herself an unexpected partner in her mission.
1. Chapter 1: Shifting Opinion

**Authors Note: This is a pairing that I never really took seriously until watching Rebellion. I won't give out any spoilers but after watching the movie, I now ship these two almost as much as I ship my favourite pairing; KyoHomu. Almost. So I decided to take a stab at writing a story for this "Forbidden Ship" **

Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki were facing off at each other on a bridge overlooking the highway at night. The coldness of the night set in, but the only thing they acknowledged was the enemy in front of them. Neither of them were going to hold back for this fight. Kyoko stepped back as Homura Akemi volunteered to fight the blue haired idiot.

"You got until I finish eating this." Kyoko said, pointing to the pocky in her mouth.

"That's all I need."

The redhead smirked at her attitude. "Well aren't you confident about this?"

"I'm sure I can at least do better than you."

"Hey! I was going easy on her!" Kyoko argued. "Besides, I would've won if you didn't interfere."

Sayaka could feel her emotions run high as she watched the girls talk to each other, as if they were friends. Her hands started to shake from her anger towards them.

_No, they only care about themselves, I bet they don't even know what a "friend" is._

The sight of just one of them was enough to make her angry, both of them however, made her blood boil. She held out her soul gem, allowing it to shine brightly. "Don't underestimate me!"

"I'm so sorry Sayaka-chan!" Madoka yelled as she unexpectedly snatched the blue soul gem from Sayaka's hand before her best friend could transform. Without even thinking, the pinkette threw it over edge of the railing.

For a single moment, Homura watched Sayaka's body fall unconscious into Madoka's arms as all signs of life drained away from the bluenette's eyes, then the dark haired girl froze time completely with her shield. Homura jumped over the edge to take back the soul of Sayaka Miki.

She ran through the highway, freezing time and unfreezing time as she eventually caught up to the truck that the soul gem rested on. The loud sounds of cars driving past were the only thing the brunette could hear as she began to climb the moving vehicle. The girl sighed inwardly as the cold wind pushed against her body.

_Why do I keep doing this?_

It was clear that Sayaka had already begun her decent into madness. To help her now would be a wasted effort on Homura's part, but the time traveler did it anyway, she always saved the bluenette's life, even if it ended up hindering her plans.

Perhaps it was because Sayaka was Madoka's childhood friend, and felt obligated to save her. Or maybe it was because Homura had a sliver of hope that the blue haired girl would survive long enough to fight Walpurgisnacht. Whatever the reason, here she was again, clutching Sayaka's very soul in the palm of her hand.

_That idiot._

Homura got back to scene and placed the gem in hand of its owner. The soul gem glowed momentarily as the soul established a connection to the body. Madoka and Kyoko turned around to find the black haired girl standing over Sayaka.

The blue haired girl gasped as her heart restarted itself. She struggled to get up from the cold surface of the bridge. Sayaka felt like she had been hit by a moving truck. Her arms and legs wobbled as she attempted to get up. The soul had just reconnected the link between itself and the body, it was going to be at least a few hours before Sayaka would be back at full strength.

It was then she noticed the strange stares she was getting from everyone. Well, everyone but Homura, who simply had an uncaring expression on face.

"Err, why are you guys staring at me like that? What happened?"

No one answered her, instead Madoka threw her arms around her childhood friend and continued to cry, this time they were tears of joy. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Madoka repeated over and over as she kept crying.

Kyoko realized she was still holding onto Kyubey's body, and decided to throw it over railing. A loud splat could be heard, which was music to Homura's ears.

The time traveler had seen enough, she disappeared then reappeared at Kyoko's side, causing the redhead jump back a bit. "Oh for the love of, would you just stop doing that to me? It kinda creeps me out." Homura didn't respond and walked back home with Kyoko.

Sayaka watched the two walk away together as Madoka eventually pulled herself away from Sayaka, wiping the tears from her eyes.

The bluenette was still confused by the situation. "Madoka, tell me, what the hell just happened?"

The pinkette looked apprehensive to say anything. She had just more or less killed her best friend, just what was she suppose to say?

_If it wasn't for Homura-chan..._

The silence was broken by Kyubey jumping onto Sayaka's shoulder. "I can explain if you want." Sayaka nodded her head, and Kyubey began to reveal one of the secrets of the soul gems.

"No...it can't be..." Sayaka started breathing heavily, not completely taking in what Kyubey just told her.

Kyubey sighed. "But it works better this way. If your soul remained within your body, Kyoko Sakura would have surely killed you in the alley before Homura Akemi arrived."

Anger and hatred was the only thing Sayaka could feel right now. The blue haired girl grabbed Kyubey by the neck, strangling him with all her strength. "You...you...turned me into a zombie!"

Madoka watched in horror as Sayaka's grip tightened. "Sayaka-chan! Please stop it!" She forced her friend to let go of Kyubey. Sayaka angrily growled, before dropping to her knees. Her own tears started to build up within her. The little white creature got up and left the scene, he had no further business there.

"Just how...how am I supposed to face Kyosuke-kun now?" She tried but couldn't hold them back any longer and let the liquid drop from her eyes. Madoka slowly embraced her, and offered the bluenette a shoulder to cry on.

After awhile, Sayaka was able to clear her mind and calm down about the situation. _It's okay, everything is going to be fine, even as a…a… zombie_, _I can still save people from Witches._ It was only after calming down did she realize something. She lifted her head to face Madoka.

"Umm, Madoka...if you threw my soul gem away-"

"I'm really sorry!" Madoka apologized. "I didn't mean to. I just didn't want you to fight!"

"No it's not that." Sayaka shook her head. "How did you get my soul gem back?"

"Oh that? It was... well..." Madoka was slightly hesitant. She knew that Sayaka wasn't fond of the dark haired girl at all. "...It was Homura-chan who got it back for you." Madoka eventually answered.

"She what!?" Sayaka couldn't believe what she just heard. "You're sure about this?" Sayaka asked to clarify. The blue haired girl was already convinced that Homura Akemi was a bad person. Anything that contraindicated her assumption was something Sayaka couldn't stand.

"Yes, she saved you Sayaka. Please don't hate her anymore." Madoka pleaded. She desperately wanted them to be friends, not just Homura and Sayaka, but that redhead girl too. If they just talked to each other instead of fighting, Madoka was sure they could all work together and be friends.

Sayaka still wasn't having any of it though, and shook her head in denial. Her eyes showed nothing but hate for Homura Akemi. "No! You haven't forgotten that she let Mami-san to die, did you? She doesn't care about anyone but herself!" Sayaka was Madoka's childhood friend, but the blue haired girl was pushing the limits of the pinkette.

"Face it Madoka. That transfer student is nothing more than a stone cold, uncaring bit-"

Sayaka didn't finish as she felt a stinging sensation on her left cheek. It took a few moments for either of them to even register what just happened. Madoka just slapped Sayaka.

The blue haired girl brought a hand up to her cheek, where she had been hit by the normally non-voilent girl. Her were eyes wide, still trying to process what had just happened. "Madoka..."

Madoka was starting to cry again. "It wasn't her fault that Mami-san died...it wasn't..." Madoka wanted to tell her friend the truth without violence, but it was difficult if you're trying to tell someone who won't listen to reason.

"When Homura-chan tried to help, Mami-san tied her up with magic." Madoka started to explain. Her entire body trembled as she did so. To remember what transpired was still painful to think about.

"She was trapped, she couldn't do anything. Mami-san died...because of herself, not Homura-chan." The last part took all of Madoka's willpower to say. The pinkette looked up to Mami as much as Sayaka did, but she knew Mami made a mistake when she tied up Homura.

Sayaka could swear there was something wrong with her ears today. First the soul gems, then the transfer student saving her life, now learning that it wasn't Homura Akemi's fault that Mami died. This was getting too much for her to bear.

"I...I need to go." Sayaka's minimal strength allowed her to walk home at least. Her body told her to drop to the ground and sleep, but she had enough common sense to avoid that.

_Akemi Residence_

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Kyoko said as the two ate instant ramen within Homura's strategy room. "About that Sayaka girl."

Homura narrowed her eyes. "I told you to stay out of it." She said in an almost hostile tone.

The redhead put her hands up in a mock surrender. "I know and I will, but, tell me, why did you save her? I mean, it's pretty clear you don't like her very much, but you still rescued her, why?" This had been nagging at the redhead ever since they left the bridge.

Homura was silent for a few moments, before allowing herself the luxury of a small laugh. "I wish I knew."

_The Next Day_

Sayaka walked along the path to school, with Madoka beside her. The blue haired girl had her head down at her feet, watching her own legs move. The sound of her own footsteps sounded hollow to her now. She was still mulling over what Madoka had told her last night. Her opinion of the transfer student was completely distorted because of it.

_Was I wrong the whole time?_

The sound of Madoka's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Sayaka-chan!"

"Huh, oh, what is it Madoka?" Sayaka's body was fine now, but her mind was still a little slow on things.

"I said, you need to apologize to Homura-chan today."

The bluenette blinked in surprise as she stopped walking. "What!? There's no way I'm apologizing to her!"

Madoka wasn't going to give up however. "Come on Sayaka-chan. She saved your life. The least you could do is say thank you."

She hated it when Madoka was right. She knew she should thank her, but Sayaka just didn't want to, she gave up however when she saw Madoka, with those big, pink, pleading eyes.

"Okay! Okay! I'll do it." Sayaka yelled in frustration. "Jesus, you don't give up, do you?" As they continued the walk to school, Sayaka couldn't help but feel a strange knot in her stomach.

When they arrived in class, Sayaka scanned the room and breathed a sigh of relief when saw that the transfer student wasn't here. That relief was short lived however when the bluenette took her seat and saw the dark haired girl walking into class. That feeling in her stomach returned.

Sayaka realized that Homura looked tired as she took her seat, which was thankfully far away from the blue haired girl. When class ended, Sayaka thought about rushing out of class, Madoka knew she was planning that and pushed her towards the transfer student, who seemed to be thinking at her desk. The closer Sayaka got, the more nervous she became.

"Good morning Homura-chan." Madoka greeted with a smile.

"Good morning Madoka." The blue haired girl instantly recognized a difference in the tone of her voice she had just used. It seemed almost… nice. Sayaka shook her head, dismissing what she believed to ridiculous thoughts.

"Sayaka-chan has something she wanted to say to you." Madoka mentioned, while quietly nudging the Sayaka.

The transfer student looked skeptical. "Oh does she now?" Her voice went straight back to being cold and uncaring, and it ticked off the bluenette.

Madoka turned to her childhood friend. "Well Sayaka-chan?" The pinkette pushed Sayaka forward toward Homura.

The blue haired girl gulped before speaking. Her nervousness was taking over as she fiddled with parts of her own uniform. She looked to the side, not wanting to even look at Homura in the eye. "Look...about last night...I...thank you for saving me."

**Authors Note: First chapter done! Juggling 3 fanfics at once, yeah that's going to be good for my mental state (sarcasm) Please review to tell me about whether or not you enjoyed it and if you wish to see more.**


	2. Chapter 2: Saved Again

Homura gave Sayaka an odd look. A part of her wasn't believing what she just heard. Another part of her wanted to break out into a fit of laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Countless timelines had gone by for the time traveler, she had seen small changes like Kyosuke playing the guitar instead of a violin, she had seen highly irregular timelines like the one that involved a Mahou Shoujo named Oriko Mikuni killing Madoka. It had gotten to the point where almost nothing could surprise her anymore. However it seemed like this timeline would have irregularities Homura has yet to see.

There were about a lot of different ways Homura could've answered the blue haired girl. A sarcastic comment, a nice response, or an indifferent one. Though the dark haired girl was still a little tired, thanks to the antics of a certain redhead, she just spoke whatever came to mind first.

"I'm sorry, but I believe I may have misheard what Miki-san just said."

Sayaka couldn't tell if the response was genuine or if the transfer student was mocking her. However in the end it didn't matter which one, Sayaka couldn't exactly say or do anything hostile towards Homura Akemi, not with Madoka standing right next beside her. Despite her appearance, the pinkette was actually stronger than she looked.

The blue haired girl tried to speak clearer this time. "You saved my life last night. I don't know why, but thank you anyway." Sayaka said, glancing at the transfer student's eyes before turning away again.

Homura's eyes widened in surprise.

_So I wasn't hearing things. _

The dark haired girl was in a situation she wasn't familiar with, and in a way, it scared her. Not knowing what to do, she hadn't had an irregular timeline in awhile. However, this was also an opportunity for her. If she could play her cards right, then she might be able to finally stop the blue haired girl's Witch transformation, which in turn would keep Kyoko from needlessly sacrificing herself.

_Is it too late for her though? _

Homura needed more time to analyse the situation.

"I see. Don't mention it. I did what I had to." Homura turned her head back to facing the front. Signalling the end of their exchange.

Sayaka, realising that the conversation was over, took Madoka and led up her to the school rooftops to have lunch. Opening the door to the rooftop, Sayaka sat down on a bench finally being able to rest.

Her heart was racing at an extreme speed, she thought it could explode at any moment. That was way more difficult than she thought it would be. Madoka sat down next her to best friend.

"See? That wasn't so bad Sayaka-chan. Maybe now you two can even be friends." Madoka had a hopeful smile on her face.

"I don't know, how did you befriend her anyway?"

Madoka thought for moment. "Hmm, I'm not sure actually. She's-" Sayaka interrupted her friend by placing a hand over her mouth. The blue haired girl's attention was focused on something else.

Madoka eventually pulled the hand away from her mouth. "What was that for Sayaka-chan?"

The bluenette stood up and walked forward.

"Sayaka-chan?"

"I think...I feel...a Witch." Sayaka then turned to the right and kept walking in that direction. Madoka got up and followed, until Sayaka stopped and stood in a single spot. Checking her soul gem, she saw it was pulsating blue light, she was near a Witch barrier, very close.

Transforming in bright flash of blue, Sayaka readied her cutlass blade, and swung the sword in front of herself. The blade cut open a Witch barrier, opening a way inside.

Madoka stood behind her friend, ready to go inside. Sayaka however just stood frozen on the spot. She was hesitating. She had only ever fought one Witch before, and it was much weaker than the one she felt inside the barrier.

"You okay Sayaka-chan? Maybe we should get Homura-chan to help you."

That snapped the bluenette out of her thoughts. "No, I can do this without her help." Sayaka summoned another sword in her other hand. She handed it to the pinkette.

"Here, you'll probably need this."

Madoka took the sword, surprised that it wasn't as heavy as she expected. "Okay, lets go."

The two entered the barrier, finding themselves inside a garden of sorts. There were a few familiars that looked a lot like a Venus fly trap, except much bigger and with sharp white teeth. It would've been easier to avoid fighting them and go straight for the Witch, but she knew Mami wouldn't have done that. Mami would've made sure to wipe out any familiars that stood in her way.

Wrapping the white cape around herself, she summoned a dozen swords surrounding her. She proceeded to throw the blades right at the enemy. She killed all but one familiar, who then floated in the air and charged at the blue haired girl, with its jaws open wide, ready to devour her.

Sayaka griped the sword tighter, and cut the familiar right down the middle. The blade moved effortlessly through the enemy as she killed the familiar in a single strike.

They moved through the rest of the labyrinth, having next to no trouble the whole time. That is until they found the Witch itself. It resided in a field full of dead roses. Looking up, the sky was cloudless, and had black and blue swirling lines.

The Witch laid in the middle of the field. It had the appearance of a dead tree, but with a hollow face carved into its trunk. The face looked sad, like it didn't want to be here. Sayaka felt a little sorry for it, completely oblivious to the full truth of the Mahou Shoujo.

The dead looking branches on the Witch suddenly came to life and moved at an intense speed, and in no time, Sayaka found her entire body wrapped up in the branches. There was no escape, she could barely move. The Witch lifted her up, only to slam her back down on the ground, crushing the dead roses. She felt herself being lifted up again, only to be swung in another direction into a nearby tree. Sayaka felt little pain from the onslaught. It was only then did it truly hit her, she was nothing more than a walking corpse. Like a zombie from those movies, who could take many bullets before going down.

The Witch then smashed the bluenette's face on the ground, and dragged her along floor, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.

Sayaka was then beaten against a large stone over and over and over again.

Madoka couldn't take it anymore, and charged ahead with the sword Sayaka gave her. The Witch had a spare branch to use, and sent it straight towards the pinkette. Before the blade and branch could clash, the branch burned right before Madoka's eyes. The girl blinked as it pulled back away, trying to shake the flames off itself. Madoka realised there was someone near herself.

"Homura-chan?!"

The brunette had arrived just in time. She was wielding an arm mounted miniature flamethrower. It was an experimental weapon she had stolen from a military base.

The Witch used all its spare branches and tried to wrap themselves around Homura while continuing to bash Sayaka against the ground repeatedly. Golden flames burned them all up as soon as they got close to her. The raven haired girl leaped forward and shot the flames at the remaining branches that held onto the bluenette. Sayaka dropped to ground, wondering what just happened.

Sayaka's vision was a little blurry thanks to the repeated assault. Her outfit was tattered and ripped while her body had bruises all over itself. Using magic, she created a magic circle with musical notes under herself to heal her own wounds.

As her vision returned, she saw someone jumping around, dodging attacks as the person sent out yellow flames. When her eyes had been completely restored, she gasped at the sight. Homura was ruthlessly burning the Witch with everything she had.

The black haired girl pulled out a blue grenade with a flame symbol on it from within her time shield. Homura launched herself towards the mouth of the Witch. Removing the pin, she threw it inside its mouth, and jumped back as far as she could.

Seconds later the Witch exploded into blue flames. A loud shriek filled the air as the labyrinth crumbled around them. The Witch was completely engulfed in the flames as it slowly disintegrated. Sayaka watched, wide eyed at the sight. Homura removed the weapon from her arm and placed it back in her shield, reminding herself that she would need to refuel incase she needed it again.

The dark haired girl picked up the Grief Seed and stared at it. She was deep in thought.

Madoka ran to Sakaya's side to check if her best friend was okay. The blue haired girl rose from the ground and laid back onto the fence of the school rooftop.

"You okay Sayaka-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm...I'm fine." Sayaka said between breaths.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"It's okay, just forget about it."

Sayaka closed her eyes and sat on the ground to regain her stamina. The blue haired girl was going to have to get used to losing if she was going to be a Mahou Shoujo. She soon heard footsteps headed towards her. When she opened her eyes she saw that the transfer student was kneeling down, with her arm outstretched, revealing the Grief Seed in her palm.

_What is she..._

"Take it."

Sayaka blinked in confusion. "What? I-I-It was your kill, wasn't it?"

"I'm not giving you a choice."

The blue haired girl however had way too much pride to be accepting pity Grief Seeds. She saw it as an insult.

"Look, you killed the Witch, therefore it's yours. I don't need it anyway."

"Like hell you don't."

The two girls glared at each other. It didn't look like either would be backing down from their position anytime soon.

"Then why don't you two share it!"

The bluenette and brunette turned their heads towards the pinkette. They had momentarily forgotten that Madoka was even there. She was smiling at her own idea.

"Since you both fought the Witch, then you should both use the Grief Seed."

"Hang on a second, is that even possible?" Sayaka asked.

Homura placed the Grief Seed on the ground between them. "Only one way to find out." She proceeded to remove her gem from its place on her outfit as Sayaka did the same.

The blue haired girl took in a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing."

The two lowered their gems towards the Grief Seed, and sure enough, it started draining the corruption from both of the soul gems. Black lines of corruption were being absorbed into the Grief Seed as Homura's and Sayaka's soul gem gleamed brighter and brighter. The lines cut off as soon as the Grief Seed had reached its capacity limit. The two Mahou Shoujo placed their soul gems back where they belonged before transforming back into their school uniforms.

The Grief Seed was pitch black as Homura picked it up. She saw Kyubey out of the corner of her eye, no doubt waiting to take the Grief Seed off them.

Homura casually threw it in the direction of the white alien. After watching it harvest the seed, the dark haired girl ran her fingers through her hair and started walking away.

After taking a few steps, she stopped where she was and spoke to Sayaka through telepathy.

_Miki-san, are you free after school today?_

_Huh?_

This took Sayaka by surprise. She stared at Homura, she couldn't see the raven haired girl's facial expression because her back was facing the bluenette.

_Yeah, I'm free, why?_

_Meet me at the main school gates when you can. _

_What? Why?_

_I'll be bringing you over to my place. We have some things to discuss._

Homura began walking again, her long black hair flowing in the breeze.

_Class_

Sayaka's mind wasn't concentrating on whatever her teacher was going on about. It was math anyway, she knew she was going to fail, whether or not she actually paid attention. She found it too confusing anyway. Instead her thoughts were fixed on the transfer student. She was wondering why the dark haired girl wanted to meet up with her.

To think that twenty four hours ago, the bluenette despised the transfer student with every fibre in her body. Now she had no idea what her opinion on the dark haired girl was.

It was clear from the way the transfer student talked that she had her own agenda, what that was, Sayaka had no clue. However she also couldn't ignore the fact that her life had been saved twice now by her. She knew she owed the transfer student.

Homura had been called up to answer a question written up on the board. The question looked way too hard for the bluenette figure out, but in no time, the dark haired girl figured out the answer.

_How the hell does she even have the time to study when she's a Mahou Shoujo?_

Sayaka was pretty sure that she would never completely understand the raven haired girl.

_After School_

"Hey Madoka." Sayaka started as she approached her childhood friend when their last class ended. "Listen, I'm going to be headed to Akemi-san's house today so-"

"What really?!" The pinkette squealed. She then hugged her best friend from what she heard. "See, I knew you two can be friends!"

Sayaka scratched the side of her head. "I really don't think we're friends." She sighed at Madoka's optimism. "Anyway, are you going to be okay walking home alone?"

"Of course I'll be okay!" Madoka was absolutely ecstatic. "Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." The pinkette was practically skipping out of class from sheer joy. The blue haired girl sighed as she slugged her school bag over her shoulder and went to meet up with the transfer student.

_School Gates_

"Huh, you're here after all." Homura said as the blue haired girl walked up to her.

"How long will this take?"

"As long as it needs to." Homura started leading Sayaka down the path to her house. She had only ever done this once before, but those days felt like a life time ago to Homura.

It wasn't long before they reached the transfer student's house. It turns out that Homura didn't live that far away from Sayaka actually.

The dark haired reached for the door handle, just as she thought, the door was unlocked. She sighed. Kyoko always had a habit of breaking in whenever she was bored and Homura wasn't home.

Regardless, she pushed open the door to allow Sayaka Miki entry into her house.

**Authors Note: Okay, I shall shamelessly admit, I had a lot of fun beating the utter crap out of Sayaka. XD. Since the technology in the Madoka world seems more advanced than what we have, I decided to take a few liberties with Homura's weaponry. Please review to tell me what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3: Two Swords

When Sayaka entered the home of the transfer student the place seemed fairly normal. That is until the dark haired girl lead her into a room Sayaka could swear was too big for the house itself. A large white room with floating pictures that depicted...something. To the side she saw a big line of candles, all lit up as well. It gave the bluenette a strange eerie feeling. The blue haired girl looked up, and saw massive gears turning along with a giant pendulum swinging from side to side. She wondered what the hell that was supposed to be used for.

Homura gestured towards a bench for Sayaka to sit on. As she did the transfer student sat on a bench on the other side of the large table between them. The table held many lists, maps and mathematical equations the blue haired girl couldn't figure out even if her life depended on it.

"Sayaka Miki."Homura started, the dark haired girl stared at Sayaka with a blank expression. The sound of her name caught the blue haired girl's attention. "You want to protect the people of this city, correct?"

"Huh? Just what kind of question is that?"

Homura's blank facial expression did not change. "Answer it, Sayaka Miki."

Sayaka wasn't liking the tone of voice the transfer student was using. "Yes I do."

Homura closed her eyes for moment and breathed a small sigh of relief. _So she still retains part of her sanity. Now just how long will she be able to keep it?_

Sayaka's soul gem had just been somewhat purified earlier that day. Homura wondered whether or not it would be enough to make a difference in this timeline. As Homura opened her eyes again, she saw that the blue eyed Mahou Shoujo was fidgeting. She was obviously still trying to adjust to the room itself. The silence from the dark haired girl was also enough to unnerve the blue haired girl.

"Two weeks from now, a Witch will arrive here in the city."

Sayaka's attention was now completely focused.

"This Witch, Walpurgisnacht, will be monumental in terms of strength. If it isn't defeated, then everyone will perish."

The information was a little hard to take in considering how fast Homura just sprung it on her. The blue haired girl was starting to understand why she had been brought here.

"I assume you want my help in fighting this Witch?" Sayaka asked. "Is this why you teamed up with that redhead chick?"

Homura could feel someone watching their conversation, and she had a fairly solid guess at who it was. "Yes. My powers alone aren't able to defeat it. So I require your help and Kyoko-san's to battle Walpurgisnacht."

Homura's eyes stared right into Sayaka's, causing the blue haired girl to glance away. The time traveler realised that this was the first time Sayaka had even heard of Walpurgisnacht. Homura had no reference to other timelines as to how she would react, but considering Sayaka still remained partially sane; Homura was fairly sure on what Sayaka's answer would be.

"If I agree, does this mean I have to work with _her_?" Sayaka asked, placing great emphasis on that last word. The time traveler realised this might be more difficult than she initially thought.

Homura let out a small frustrated sigh. "The two of you will need to work together if we want to stand even a chance at defeating Walpurgisnacht."

"Forget it!" Sayaka snapped, she didn't want to be anywhere near the redhead. "There's no way I'm working with someone like her!"

"Do you want to put Madoka in danger?"

That managed to give the fuming bluenette pause.

"If you choose to fight Walpurgisnacht alone, then you will surely die. Just how will you save her if you're dead?"

Sayaka didn't speak. She drop her head downwards to think. Sayaka wanted to help people of Mitakihara. She wanted to be like Mami and save as many people as she possibly could, but in order to do that she would have to work with someone who stood against everything Sayaka Miki stood for.

"Damn it..."

The blue haired Mahou Shoujo was testing Homura's patience. Even when faced with a much bigger threat she still remained stubborn. Sayaka clung onto her morals and ethics even now. Homura needed to find a way appease her.

"The two of you will not need converse or interact in anyway. All I ask is that you two work together to bring down Walpurgisnacht. After that you two are free to destory each other if you wish."

This seemed to calm Sayaka down enough to think properly. Eventually after a few moments of silence she raised her head to face Homura.

"Fine. This doesn't mean I like it though."

Homura pulled out a black object and threw it at Sayaka. The blue haired girl caught it, and realised it was a Grief Seed. She blinked in surprise.

"Keep it as a sign of our agreement. Besides a Mahou Shoujo should always carry a spare Grief Seed." Homura said before Sayaka argue against her.

The blue haired said nothing as she pocketed the Grief Seed.

"Can I go now?"

Homura nodded as Sayaka grabbed her school bag and left the room. It was only when the front door could be heard closing that Homura spoke up.

"I know you're there Kyoko-san."

The redhead finally revealed herself from the behind the second door that lead into the strange room.

"I guess I gotta work with that bitch after all huh?"

"Like I said you two don't need to talk or interact until Walpurgisnacht arrives. In fact I advise that you avoid Sayaka Miki at all costs."

Sayaka's mental state was still a little fragile. While not as bad as Mami Tomoe's it could still be tipped over the edge at anytime. It will be tested in just a few days. Best not to let Kyoko be anywhere near her before then.

"So when you said we could destroy each other..."

"I would prefer that you didn't attempt to kill each other. I only said that to calm her down."

"Hey! Our agreement was that Walpurgisnacht's Grief Seed and Mitakihara would be mine. Isn't that right? So I should be able to do what I want in my territory."

"Yes that was the deal. I am simply giving you some advice."

Kyoko laughed as she opened up a bag of chips to eat. "I guess we'll see what happens then." With that she left to leave Homura to her thoughts.

_Sayaka Miki...even now you are still just an annoying obstacle. That's all you are..._

In just a few days Hitomi will inform Sayaka about her feelings for Kyosuke. This would usually send Sayaka to the point of no return. Homura could only hope now that Sayaka knew about Walpurgisnacht and the threat it poses that the blue haired girl wouldn't fall into despair and see that she needed to live long enough to fight it.

When night fell Kyoko went out for a Witch hunt after Homura advised her again to stay away from the blue haired idiot. The time traveler started to get ready for bed, but decided to do a full inventory check on weapons within her time shield.

As she begun removing all the various pistols, rifles and other weapons she felt her hand touch something familiar. It was something she completely forgotten about so many timelines ago.

She slowly pulled it out and stared at it. A sheathed katana. The sheath and handle were pure black nothing special. It was weapon she hadn't used in a long time. Her time with it was short before she decided to use modern weapons.

She unsheathed the sword slightly and stared into the reflective blade itself. As she watched her own face on the steel she begun to get an idea.

_The Next Day_

Sayaka, Madoka and Hitomi all walked to school together. Madoka definitely being the most upbeat of the three. Hitomi looked quite nervous and Sayaka was thinking about the Witch that was coming to the city. She had never heard Mami mention something like it. She wondered if the blonde knew about it. She wished Mami was still here to guide them. Sayaka was still a novice after all.

"So what happened at Homura-chan's house Sayaka-chan?"

The mention of the transfer student's name snapped Sayaka out of her thoughts.

"Oh? Nothing much. We just talked about a few things."

"That's all?"

"Really. That's all. Not much happened."

Sayaka could swear that the pinkette looked a little disappointed at those words. Madoka turned to the green haired girl.

"So Hitomi-chan, you're pretty quiet today."

"Yeah. I just got a few things on my mind that's all."

"Don't we all." Sayaka commented with a forced smile.

When they entered class they saw that Homura was already at her desk. Madoka went to up to greet her.

"Good morning Homura-chan."

"Good morning Madoka."

Sayaka was just going to ignore the transfer student and take her seat but Madoka's voice spoke to her via telepathy thanks to Kyubey who sat on Madoka's shoulder.

_Shouldn't you say hello Sayaka-chan?_

_What? Do I have too?_

_You two aren't enemies right? So go say hello at least._

_Urgh. Fine._

Sayaka came up beside Madoka. The blue haired girl's nervousness came back. Their last conversation wasn't exactly a peaceful one.

"Good morning Akemi-san."

Homura's eyes moved to stare at the blue eyed girl for a moment.

"Good morning Miki-san." She said in an indifferent tone. Homura went right back to thinking about whatever she was thinking while Sayaka went straight to her seat without another word.

Madoka sighed at the two of them. She realised that getting the two of them to be friendly with each other might take awhile. It was still a start to the pink haired girl. She was a little happy with that at least.

_School Rooftop_

During lunch Madoka and Sayaka ate at the roof on one of the school buildings. Hitomi left the two saying that she needed to think about something alone.

Sayaka hoped another Witch wouldn't appear again. Lucky for her a Witch did not appear, but something else did.

Homura Akemi had followed them up to the roof.

"Did you need something Homura-chan?" Madoka asked just as she finished swallowing some food.

"That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On Sayaka Miki."

The blue haired girl started choking on her food at the statement. She had a strange feeling that the transfer student's visit had something to do with her.

_What does she want this time?_

"Wait why me?"

Homura transformed in a bright flash of purple. Sayaka looked around worriedly to see if anyone else was there. Luckily no one else saw the transfer student transform. Things seemed to be private for the three girls.

Homura removed the sheathed katana from her shield and held it at her side. The bluenette stared at it suspiciously.

"Just what is that for?" Sayaka asked as she started drinking a bottle of water.

"To train you."

Sayaka started choking on her bottle of water. She figured that she should stop eating and drinking whenever the transfer student was talking.

"What? I don't need training."

"Your last battle begs to differ."

Sayaka didn't have a response to that and only growled at the floor. It was true that had Homura not been there the blue haired girl probably would have died. Madoka too.

_Still...just because I lose against one Witch doesn't mean I need to be trained._

"I think that's a great idea Homura-chan!" Madoka turned to her friend. "Well Sayaka-chan? If you let her help, then fighting Witches will be easier right?"

It was that look Madoka was giving her again. She wouldn't back down from this. Sayaka sighed and stood up. The wind started to pick up as she did so.

Sayaka took out her soul gem and transformed. She narrowed her eyes at the dark haired girl.

_This is about Walpurgisnacht isn't it?_

_How very astute of you. Correct. Your speed and reflexes need to improved if you want to stand a chance against Walpurgisnacht. _

The two girls stood opposite of each other. Each with a sword in hand. Homura unsheathed her weapon letting the blade feel the fresh air it hadn't felt in a long time. She dropped the sheath to ground as the wind picked up even more. Homura's and Sayaka's hair continued to blow in the breeze.

"Now then Sayaka Miki. Attack and do not hold back."

Sayaka was more than happy to do that as she ran forward to deliver the first strike. Her sword made contact with Homura's above the dark haired girl's head. Sayaka tried to push against it but Homura placed her hand on the non-bladed edge and pushed Sayaka back causing her to trip over her own feet and fall to the ground.

"Your footwork is far too clumsy. You need to be able to stay balanced in a battle and dodge an incoming attack at a moments notice. Get up and try again."

Sayaka rose to her feet while gripping the handle of her cutlass sword tighter. She charged forward again, this time with a fast flurry of strikes which Homura blocked each and every one. Sayaka brought her blade back and pointed it right at Homura. She moved her entire body forward to stab the dark haired girl.

Homura dodged the attack and grabbed Sayaka's arm. She pulled her whole body forward and kneed the blue haired girl in the stomach. Homura then smacked the back of Sayaka's head with the handle of the katana sending the sword wielding Mahou Shoujo back to the ground.

"Never move your body closer then you need to when engaging an opponent."

Sayaka was getting fed up with the constant lecturing and attacked without thinking. She let loose slash after slash after slash. All of which were effortlessly deflected by the violet eyed girl.

Homura swung her blade with all her strength and knocked Sayaka's sword away from her hands. Sayaka watched her sword fly off which resulted her being kicked in the chest by Homura. The blue haired girl landed on her back as Homura stood over her.

"Don't met your emotions control you during battle. Your mind needs to stay calm and focused."

Sayaka groaned as she got back up to fight again. She picked up her sword and assumed a battle pose. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

It lasted only for moment, but Sayaka could swear that she saw a small smile on the dark haired girl's face. Sayaka shook her head, and just assumed it was just a trick of the light or something.

The training session lasted throughout most of lunch. Sayaka wasn't able to land a single blow on Homura. The blue haired girl sat on the bench next to Madoka after being defeated for about the twentieth time. Homura sheathed the blade and returned it back to the infinite space within the shield.

"Wow Homura-chan. How did you learn all of that?" Madoka asked, still stunned at the amount of skill Homura had with a blade.

"I had a good teacher."

"So is your teacher even better?"

"Unfortunately..." Homura eyed the blue haired girl that sat drinking a bottle of water. "...she's not at the top of her game right now."

Sayaka was trying to ignore the conversation between her friend and someone who she should probably call an ally. Their partnership existed only because of Walpurgisnacht. After that she was sure it would dissolve.

"Madoka, does anyone else come up here during lunch?" Homura asked.

"No I don't think so. Hitomi used to come up here but it seems like she has something else to do now."

"I see." Homura turned back to Sayaka. "We will try this again tomorrow."

Sayaka nodded begrudgingly as Homura walked away. When the dark haired girl was out of earshot Sayaka let out a loud groan of frustration.

"Urgh. How the hell did I get myself into this?"

"I think this is great. You can get better at fighting, and you can bond with Homura-chan."

"How the hell do you bond with something who's constantly beating the crap out of you?"

Homura and Sayaka weren't enemies, but they weren't friends either. Madoka of course hopped that one day they could be friends. She just needed to get Sayaka to stop being so stubborn.

"She just wants to help you. Homura-chan is right you know. If you don't get better then you might die when fighting a Witch."

Sayaka let out another groan. Angry at her own lack of skill in combat.

Homura continued to walk down a staircase within the school. Her thoughts were focused on the events that will transpire in a few days. Hitomi was an obstacle that Homura needed to deal with. While one reason for setting up the training sessions was to improve Sayaka Miki's skill in battle. Another reason was to keep the blue haired girl's mind focused. The training sessions would be a constant remainder to her that Walpurgisnacht was coming.

Homura hoped that because of that, Sayaka Miki would be able to get over that boy fairly quickly. At least that was the plan. However like many plans Homura had cooked up over the timelines they all could fail horribly.

_Akemi Residence_

When Homura entered her house she saw blood on the floor. Following the trail of blood lead to the kitchen where she found a certain redhead snacking on some chocolate. Their were a few cuts on Kyoko's hand and arm. Her Mahou Shoujo outfit was somewhat ripped as well.

"What the hell happened to you?"

The redhead sighed. "A Witch caught me by surprise. Just escaped with a few scratches. Nothing to worry about."

"I see." Homura went to her fridge to grab a small bite to eat.

"Anything interesting happen with you today?" Kyoko asked as she continued eating.

"Well...I'm now training Sayaka Miki in swordplay."

"Wait? Seriously? You can use a sword?"

"Would you like a demonstration?" Homura taunted. She knew Kyoko couldn't resist a good fight.

"Hell yeah! Lets see what you got." Kyoko said as she summoned her spear.

Even while Kyoko was injured the two ended up being evenly matched through out most of the fight. The two stopped when Kyoko's stomach demanded that it be fed with something. Homura offered to fix up the wound but Kyoko told her to let it heal through the soul gem.

Kyoko grabbed some candy to eat. "I assume you're training her because Walpurgisnacht is coming."

"Yes. We all need to be the best can be when Walpurgisnacht gets here." Homura left the kitchen and entered the strategy room.

The dark haired girl overlooked the plans on fighting Walpurgisnacht. She was trying to think of a way for Sayaka to help in the fight. Right now it seemed all she could do is fight off the familiars as Homura and Kyoko focused on the Witch itself.

Homura just sat there as she continued to plan against Walpurgisnacht.

Sayaka was outside hunting Witches. A Mahou Shoujo of justice had her duty to protect the city. She was fighting a Witch that looked like a walking suit of armour except it had four arms. Each hand had a different weapon. A sword, a dagger, spear and a trident.

Sayaka was able to block most attacks but her shoulder ended up being cut by the dagger. She was about to fall but managed to stay upright. Sayaka sighed.

_I...I need to stay balanced. I have to be able to move my feet to dodge as well._

The Witch struck with all of its weapons at once. Sayaka moved to the left and saw an opening to strike. She moved her blade and stabbed through the helmet but kept her body at a distance. The Witch screamed as it moved its weapons frantically in front of itself. Sayaka let go of the sword leaving it embedded inside the head of the Witch.

The Witch soon fell to pieces as the labyrinth slowly disappeared. Sayaka picked up and used the Grief Seed. She realised that she might've sustained more injuries if not the lesson earlier today. Sayaka silently thanked the transfer student.


End file.
